On Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:12:27 -0700, Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

On Sep 15, 7:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.



And you still buy from these crooks??????????

I would not do business with that company if my life depended on it.

I liked your letter to them though. Pretty funny !!!!
I bet that box of nuts and bolts cost you less than $2, which means it
cost them under a buck. This just shows how lousy their business
really is. If they are willing to lose a customer (and the friends of
that customer) over a buck or two, then their whole business is
garbage.

I once bought from another similar ripoff company called Homier. I
bought a $8 plastic guard. When I got home I opened the box and the
whole thing was broken into many pieces. I contacted the company by
email, did not get a reply, I phoned and only got an ans. machine and
never got a return call. After I finally filed a complaint with a
consumer protection agency, they sent me a reply in which they said
that they do not warranty their tools against customer abuse, and
stated that from the damages I described I had abused the thing......
went on to explain how they carefully inspect everything.... blah
blah... also went on that even if the item was defective that it was
beyond their warranty date (even though I had contacted them at least
10 times over an 8 month period, before I filed the formal complaint.

I responded back telling them that they just lost a customer for life
over an $8 item that probably cost them less than $2, and I'd be sure
to tell everyone I know to avoid them.

All of those places are crooks. They get these discarded foreign junk
tools and make a big profit, and dont stand behind their junk. I cant
always afford the top of the line tools like SK or others. Years ago
I would buy Craftsman, but they are not what they used to be now
either. But I refuse to buy that junk stuff from these "disposible"
companies. I find that the tools at places like Ace Hardware are
decent, and are returnable. Sure they cost more than Harbor Freight,
but you get what you pay for. At the same time I have boughten some
of the "house brand" power tools from Menards (knowing I can return
them), and have not been disappointed.